Jane Austen was born 238 years ago on December 16, 1775 in Steventon, England. She died on July 18, 1817 at age 41 in Winchester, England. She is one of the most widely read writers in English literature.

A news article published in November 2011 revealed that Jane Austen might have died of arsenic poisoning. Arsenic was a common ingredient in medicines of the time.